The Philadelphia 76ers are limiting ticket sales for their three scheduled home games against the New York Knicks to residents of the Greater Philadelphia area, a move aimed at keeping visiting fans out when the teams meet in Round 2. The restriction applies to games at Xfinity Mobile Arena on May 8, May 10 and May 14, and the team said it will verify residency through the billing address on the credit card used for purchase.
Any order placed by someone outside the Greater Philadelphia area will be canceled without notice, with refunds issued, the team said.
The timing is no accident. The 76ers and Knicks open the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday at Madison Square Garden, where New York is expected to have a heavy edge in the stands. Philadelphia is trying to avoid a repeat of what happened two years ago, when Knicks fans swarmed the city during a first-round meeting between the teams.
Joel Embiid made the concern plain after Philadelphia’s run moved into the next round. “Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys. The atmosphere we’ve had the last couple games in Philly, especially the last one pushing it to Game 7, I mean, we need all of it,” he said. He added that last time the teams met, “it felt like this was Madison Square Garden East,” and said, “Knicks fans, they travel.”
Embiid also acknowledged that some fans may feel pressure to cash in, but urged them not to. “There’s going to be some people that need the money and probably going to sell tickets, but don’t do it. We need you guys. We’ve got a pretty good chance. We’re going to need our support. We’re going to need them to be extremely loud and if you need money, I got you,” he said.
Knicks guard Josh Hart answered in kind, saying New York fans are persistent and will make the trip to Philadelphia. He noted that Philadelphia is less than a two-hour drive from New York and even faster by train, and said it is likely far cheaper to buy tickets for the road games. “Good thing about New Yorkers, man, they’re persistent. They don’t care, bro. They’re going to do it, man,” Hart said. “And for a lot of people, everything revolves around money. So, you know, if they get a good price for those tickets, they’re going to sell them.”
The fight over seats has become part of the series before the first game has tipped. Philadelphia wants the arena to sound like a home floor when the Knicks visit next week; New York, if history is a guide, will bring plenty of its own color to the building.